The accommodations awarded had been submitted by fellow deputies and their superiors.

“I appreciate the fact that you are submitting accommodations for one and other, I think that’s very important,” Montgomery County Sheriff Eileen Behr said.

First, new deputies were recognized for passing their requirements and training and officially becoming deputies.

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“We as a department would just like to congratulate and welcome you here; and we’re glad you completed your FTO program,” Lieutenant Gregory Womelsdorf said to new deputies Michael Bescript, John Prestia, Tim Kern, Michael Dean, James Syrdykowski, Anthony Krolikowski and Robert Maier.

Those who have been in the department were also honored. Sergeant Dominic Toscano retired from the Bomb Squad after 16 years.

“(Dom is) a true asset so we just wanted to award him with this plaque for his dedication,” Corporal Richard Miles, a member of the bomb squad, told the audience.

The awards were to honor diligence and service. On March 7 of this year, the bomb squad in the Sheriff’s Department assisted the Philadelphia branch of the FBI to remove 66 pipe bombs and 400 “forbiddens” at a public storage facility in Malvern.

“The FBI was involved in a very large investigation that stretched over the east coast from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. During the investigation the FBI obtained a search warrant for a storage area in Chester County and found over 100 pipe bombs,” Behr said.

According to Behr, all of the devices were capable of exploding.

Not all awards are given for on scene action; a right move can mean calling something in to the right people at the right time.

“As many of you may know — and for those of you who don’t — on our website we maintain an e-tip section for the warrant division so the members of the public can submit a tip anonymously,” Sergeant Bob Berry said.

On Monday April 18, Deputy Joanne Plaster found a tip on a Maurice Anders, who was on the county’s most wanted website. Anders was wanted on drugs and weapons charges. Deputy Plaster received information from the e-tip and passed the information on to Pottstown Police. As a result of the tip, Anders was arrested by Pottstown Police and Montgomery County Detectives on homicide charges.

“Deputy Joanne Plasterer’s diligence in handling this information is the reason a murderer was taken off of the street,” Berry said.

Deputies John Lomastro, Robert Neetzow and Ed Walker were commended for their actions in helping to put out a July 16 car fire on Swede Street.

While off-duty and having lunch in Warminster, Deputy Ian Stewart responded to the site of a plane crash on June 1. Stewart provided crowd control and administered basic first aid with the victim until emergency services arrived.

Two deputies, Thomas Franklin and Frank Morgan, were awarded for recovering a stolen vehicle on Oct. 8. While on standby, the deputies pursued a suspect driving a stolen Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department Vehicle.

Chief Deputy Alfred Ricci introduced Deputy Craig Sisca as the last deputy to be awarded.

“At the completion of his shift on his way home, he got to Cherry and Marshall Street and came upon an armed robbery in progress,” Ricci said.

Sisca pursued the subject and informed local law enforcement who arrested the robber a few minutes later.

Those who were given awards today will be on the committee reviewing submissions for awards for another ceremony in December.

“I am proud of your service, and want to publicly acknowledge your dedication to the department and the community,” Behr said. “We need to recognize our deputies and support staff because they often sacrifice their safety to save another or help resolve a conflict.”

This has been the second awards ceremony in the history of the Sheriff’s Department. The department will host another ceremony to recognize exemplary actions made by Sheriff’s Deputies.